About New South Wales, Australia, Sheriff's Papers, 1829-1879

About this collection

This collection contains a series of correspondence from the Sheriff and Under Sheriff to government officers and private persons of New South Wales, Australia spanning the years 1829 to 1879. The letters mainly concern convicts and may include information about the crime, the victim, the perpetrator or accused and witnesses.

Historical Background

The practice of banishing undesirables had a long history in England, but it was not organized
as a definite system until the Transportation Act 1717 which made transportation an alternate
punishment to death in certain circumstances, and a punishment in its own right for some
offences. Botany Bay had been considered a possible outlet for convicts during the 1780s. In 1786
the British government decided to make use of this region. In October 1786 Captain Arthur Phillip
was appointed Governor of New South Wales and set sail with the First Fleet on 13 May 1787,
arriving in Botany Bay with some 775 convicts on 18 January 1788.

From the outset convicts were used as a labour force, initially working for the government on
necessary public work projects, then for private settlers who began arriving in 1793. Once the
early problems had been overcome the settlement expanded and by 1821 NSW had taken shape as a
colony in which farming, grazing, commerce and a variety of other economic activities flourished.
Between 1788 and 1842 about 80,000 convicts were transported to NSW. Of these, about 85% were men
and 15% were women. Almost two thirds of convicts were English (along with a small number of
Scottish and Welsh), with the Irish making up the remaining one third. Most were first offenders
with the majority being convicted of petty larceny or receiving stolen goods. Transportation of
convicts to NSW finished in 1842, although some convict 'exiles' continued to arrive until
1850.

Convicts were usually given sentences of transportation for seven and 14 years or life. Some
convicts in the 1830s received ten-year sentences. About one quarter of the convicts were
sentenced to 'the term of their natural lives' and a proportion of these had reprieves from the
death sentence.

The historical background in this description was taken from the website of the State Records Authority of New South Wales. Additional details are available on their website.

Provided in association with State Records Authority of NSW

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